


i'll walk with you into the wind

by perfect-porcelain (tedddylupin)



Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: Hospitals, M/M, Mention of Death, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-19
Updated: 2019-09-19
Packaged: 2020-10-24 07:07:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20701937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tedddylupin/pseuds/perfect-porcelain
Summary: Alex refuses to go to the doctor after getting sick. Henry has to take him to the hospital and face some long forgotten memories.





	i'll walk with you into the wind

In hindsight he should have seen this coming. He just didn’t want to.

Alex was often awake at odd hours, like a ghost roaming the halls with nothing better to do than rewrite opening arguments and go over civil cases. 

Henry would always pat the bed next to him in their brownstone that they shared and Alex would wave him off, spewing excuse after excuse until Henry effectively fell asleep.

Sometimes they shared the haunting hour together, him going over invoices for the charity, Alex sipping his thirteenth cup of coffee. 

He should have known something was up when he got home after meetings to find Alex huddled under a blanket in the middle of September, papers spread out in front of him on the coffee table but Alex having fallen asleep.

“Mmphm, Hen? That you?” Alex mumbled as he sat down in the plush leather chair next to the couch that was covered in every inch by Alex. 

“You feeling okay?” He asked softly. 

Alex’s eyes were bleary but he gave Henry a soft smile as he stretched. “‘M fine. How was work?”

“Boring.” He said simply as he unbuttoned his shirt cuffs and rolled the sleeves up. Alex watched with interest but for once didn’t try and jump his bones even though he knew Alex’s weakness was seeing his forearms being framed by a rolled up linen sleeve. “How was class?”

“I didn’t go.” Alex said and Henry noticed the way he avoided his gaze. 

“Why not? Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” He frowned and reached forward to feel Alex’s forehead. Alex slapped his hand away, arm shooting out quickly from underneath the blankets. 

“I said I’m fine.” 

“You don’t feel fine.”

“I still look hella fine.” Alex gave him a dashing grin and Henry rolled his eyes.

“Did you at least take something? It feels like you have a fever. Do you have a sore throat or cough?”

“I took some ibuprofen earlier. Honestly Henry, no virus or bacteria can live in this body. My antibodies are too powerful. The last time I was truly sick was when I was like 8 and got the chicken pox. I still blame this dumbass kid Carson for licking my face. I’ll never forget it. Sometimes it haunts me in my dreams. I’m pretty sure I goaded him on but like, what eight year old doesn’t right?” Alex rambled on and Henry held up his hands.

“Alright, alright. If you start feeling any worse you _will_ tell me okay? I swear to god Alex if you hide something like that from me I’ll kill you myself.” Henry warned and Alex held up three fingers smooshed together.

“Scouts honor.”

“What?”

“You weren’t in boy scouts?”

“No. Prince, remember?” 

“Oh right. For a second I thought you were a member of _common society_.” Alex said, finishing in a haughty voice.

“Okay you’re definitely not super sick if you’re making fun of my lack of experience in ‘common society’ as you say. I’m going to go take a shower. Do you want me to get you anything to drink?”

“Coffee?”

“No.”

“Fine. Tea?”

“Decaf.”

“Gross.”

“Alex.”

“_Henry_.”

“Jesus fucking christ.”

“Love you.” 

“You’ll get whatever’s in the fridge.”

“Coffee?”

“_No_. Gatorade.” 

“Fine. Make it red.”

Henry set the drink in front of Alex complete with a reusable straw (after Alex had of course schooled him on the dangers of disposable plastic straws. He had to think of the turtles. _The turtles Henry_.)

“Thanks baby.” Alex said with a little grin. Normally that nickname would do wonders but he was tired and felt gross so he gave Alex a little smile before he jumped into the shower. 

When he came back out Alex was back asleep, buried back under the blankets. Henry frowned at the fact that only a little bit was gone from the gatorade bottle. He took a seat back down in the plush chair and brought out his book, listening to Alex’s deep breaths.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when Alex jerked awake. He paused his reading. 

“Hen?” Alex called out weakly, sleepily.

“I’m right here.” He said. “Do you need more medicine?” 

Alex closed his eyes and shook his head. “No. I would like to go to bed though. These pillows are hurting my neck.”

Henry chuckled. He placed a bookmark in his book and stood up while Alex shifted to sit up.

“Whoa.” Alex had to steady himself. “Head rush.” 

Henry frowned. “I feel like you need to see a doctor.”

“I haven’t been to the doctor in years I’ll be fine.” Alex shot back.

“Not even for a yearly checkup?” 

“Are you kidding me with that bullshit? Hell no.” Alex spat and stood up though wobbled enough that Henry’s arm reached out to grasp Alex’s shoulder. 

“You really should see a doctor more regularly.” Henry murmured as Alex walked toward the bedroom, blanket around him like a cape.

“It’ll be a cold day in hell when I go see a doctor willingly.” Alex said bitterly as he flopped onto the bed. Henry set the bottle of gatorade on the nightstand. 

“I want you to drink half of that and then go to sleep.” Henry crossed his arms. Alex gave him a defiant look until he realized that Henry was going nowhere.

Alex grumbled to himself and then chugged the gatorade until half of it was gone and he set it back on the nightstand. “Happy?”

“Yes.”

“Fuck you.” 

“Love you too.” 

Henry went back to the chair and back to his book, not ready to go to sleep yet but he didn’t want to keep Alex up with the lamp. It was only when it was efficiently dark out that he went to their bathroom and brushed his teeth. Alex was dead asleep, mouth slightly open while hunkered down under the comforter and the blanket he had brought from the couch.

He slipped under the covers and instantly felt the heat radiating off Alex. He reached a hand out and felt Alex’s forehead and knew the boy definitely had a fever. He went back into the bathroom and pulled out a thermometer that he had gotten on a whim when stocking their place.

It was a bit interesting to try and get Alex to keep his mouth closed in order to get the thermometer to read but when it said 101 degrees (after Henry looked up what 101 translated to Celsius) he knew that Alex needed to go to the doctor. 

“I don’t want to go.” Alex said sleepily as he curled up against Henry while they waited in the emergency room. He had called Amy to get them in quickly but even a Prince of England and the FSOTUS had to wait for doctors. 

Henry tried not to think about the last time he had been in a hospital but it was getting harder by the second, especially with Alex against him. 

They were both sitting in an exam room, waiting to be seen and Henry hated the look of the stark whiteness of the sterile environment. Alex was falling asleep on his shoulder once again. He attempted to keep his breathing under control.

“Hi there, I’m Dr. Drake. What seems to be the problem?” The doctor came breezing in and Alex stirred next to him.

“Last time I checked he had a 101 degree fever. He’s taken ibuprofen but that hasn’t seem to help. I tried to keep his fluids up.”

Alex stared the doctor down with a look of uneasiness.

“Do you have any other symptoms? Any body aches or sinus issues?”

Alex narrowed his eyes. “Maybe.”

“Alex.” Henry said in an annoyed voice. “Tell him what’s wrong you idiot.”

Alex looked at Henry for a moment before sighing. “Fine, yes I have body aches and my nose has been runny recently. And a bit of a headache.”

The doctor nodded. “I’m going to do a flu test. It’s been bad this year and if it comes back positive I would recommend you spending the night to receive fluids and for us to monitor you in case it gets worse.”

Alex stuck out his tongue and let the doctor swab his mouth before they ran the test. Henry squeezed his hand.

“You aren’t down playing it right?”

Alex was silent.

“Alex, please.”

“Looks like it’s positive.” The doctor came back in. If you follow the nurse she’s going to take you to a room. Your security team has asked that you be in an isolated ward.” 

“Of course they did.” Alex grumbled but followed the nurse all the same. 

Henry tensed as they walked further into the hospital. It wasn’t the same one of course, but all hospitals looked alike on the inside. The same overbearing sense of sickness and death. He took in a shuddering breath that he tried to make quiet as he followed behind Alex and the nurse.

“You can go wait outside for a moment while we get his vitals and start the IV.” The nurse said as she got Alex into the hospital bed. He stood still as Alex held out his arm for the second nurse to clean his arm.

“Sir?”

“Oh right yes.” He nodded and turned on his heel. He didn’t know where he was going but he eventually found himself in a waiting room along with a few other people, most of whom were huddled in pairs and whispering. 

He felt his chest tighten as he sat heavily on one of the chairs.

Rationally he knew that Alex was going to be fine. The flu was nothing more than a seasonal disease but he couldn’t help but flashback to the last time he saw his father in the oncology ward. How wasted away he looked and how his smile didn’t reach his eyes. 

Seeing Alex in a similar room had made those long buried memories come floating to the top and he put his head in his hands as he leaned, practically bending in half as his elbows landed on his thighs.

“Henry?” 

He looked up and saw Shaan standing there looking concerned. 

“Hey.” He said and wiped away the tears that he hadn’t realized had fallen.

“Amy texted me to let me know. Sorry I didn’t get here sooner. Are you doing okay? How’s Alex?”

“Alex’s fine. It’s just the flu.”

Shaan sat down next to Henry but was quiet for a moment. “Well that’s good at least right?”

“Yeah.” Henry let out a watery laugh. “I don’t know why I’m being like this.”

He didn’t mind how Shaan’s face softened. If it was anyone else he would have been annoyed at the pity but Shaan had been there. Well, not when his father had been in the hospital, but he had been there when Henry seemed to break down every time he had to go to the doctor’s office, terrified that the doctor would find something in him that would make him like his father. 

“It’s okay you know.” Shaan said softly. 

Henry swallowed and nodded a little too vigorously, like he was trying to shake off everything that was surrounding him. He felt Shaan’s hand on his back and he let out a slow breath.

“He’ll be fine.” Shaan continued.

“I know.” 

They sat there for a while until the nurse came back to let them know that Alex was okay to be seen and that he was asking for Henry. 

Shaan gave him an encouraging look. “I’ll be back here if you need me.”

“There you are.” Alex said. He had a grumpy expression on his face. “They refused to give me green jello so I got stuck with orange. Can you fucking believe that shit? _Orange_? They might as well have given me cyanide. I mean I still ate it but _still_. Why are you looking at me like that?”

Henry’s laugh was watery as he sat down next to Alex’s bed. Alex turned his head. 

“Have you been crying?” Alex’s expression instantly fell to one of softness and concern. 

“Um...yeah but it’s no big deal.” He waved it off and Alex reached out with his hand before taking it back and covering the hand with a blanket.

“You don’t want to hold my sickly hand.” Alex said quickly and Henry took the clothed one and squeezed it lightly. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing...hospitals aren’t...my favorite I guess.” He said awkwardly.

Alex’s eyes widened instantly. “Oh shit oh my god how the hell could I forget. Hen I’m sorry baby.” 

Henry waved him off. “No, no, it’s fine. I want to be here for you.” 

Alex’s face kept the same soft look but he could see the concern heighten. “You’re free to yell at me for not listening to you.” 

“That’s already a given.” Henry’s mouth quirked into a smile and Alex laughed before wincing. “Okay you should probably go to sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.” 

“Yeah, alright.” Alex sighed and shifted back into his sheets. “Love you.” He murmured before the deep breaths started again and Henry watched him fondly.

He stood up and kissed Alex on the forehead, brushing back his curls. Alex stirred only for a moment before the corners of his mouth turned up before relaxing back into relaxed slumber. 

Henry sat back in his chair and settled in for the night. 

This wasn’t anything like his father. Sure it was a hospital, but he knew Alex wasn’t about to die and he knew that tomorrow Alex would be back to being the same old menace that he had fallen in love with, except with more demanding grumpiness. He’d take that any day.

**Author's Note:**

> This was requested to me on tumblr by thecomiccollection! I obviously had to write it so I hope you enjoy it!! Title from Hadestown because I've been obsessively listening to it lately and will probably use lyrics from there for future titles looool (you should def check it out on spotify)
> 
> Follow me on tumblr: [tedddylupin](http://www.tedddylupin.tumblr.com)
> 
> (If you have a oneshot fic request hit me up on there!)


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